Terry Murray Fired – Ba Du Du Du, It’s Over.

The weeks of griping have paid off. The months of mediocre hockey have reached critical mass. Terry Murray has officially coached his last game as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

For now, John Stevens takes over. We knew this would happen. Luckily he carries the prefix ‘interim’. There is plenty to speculate about in the meantime. How long does Stevens coach? Who does Lombardi hire? Will a new coach clean house with the assistants? Will the Kings get better or still suck?

It’s a lot to take in and quite frankly, jumping the gun a little bit. For now, the Kings just need to focus on winning tomorrow against Boston. It will be very interesting to see how the team responds. Let’s hope they show a hint of renewed dedication and spirit. They have to know that if things don’t improve in a reasonable amount of time, core players will be next to be nixed.

A sigh of relief. Aaaaaah.

A nod of the cap to the man without a job. He did some good things here, once upon a time.

A prayer to the hockey gods that Dean Lombardi’s next decision will be his best. His last chance is upon him.

Terry Murray leaves the Kings a single game away from his 500th NHL win as a head coach. I was initially inclined to feel pity. I then was shocked the Kings had the gusto to drop the hammer so soon. I then had the thought that Murray’s inability to coach his team to his 500th win is rather poetically just and abjectly pathetic.

Murray’s last act as head coach? A one goal loss followed by a slew of line changes. The more things change, the more they stay the same, a sentiment I hope has run its course.

One has to wonder if the ‘leak’ from the LA Times article last night forced Lombardi’s hand to act a bit sooner than he would have liked. One then has to wonder if the leak was Leiweke and placed as an act of subterfuge. A way to control Dean’s movements without actively taking the decision away from his employee. A subtle power play while maintaining empowerment on both sides.

Enough conspiracy theorizing.

Scribe and I have pleaded for this day, along with many others. For the last three weeks I had a petition for the firing of Murray drawn up and ready to go, ever hesitating, awaiting to see who would blink first, Dean or the team’s complete collapse.

The next few weeks will go a long way towards proving our coarse manner towards Murray as righteous or misguided. I remain absolutely confident this is the right choice. The card that had been dealt were rightly folded. The next hand Lombardi plays will decide the game.

Earlier today Hammond said there was zero indication that there would be a coaching change made today.

Just another thing to ponder. Or muse at. Your choice.

Go Kings Go.

The time that was supposed to be now wasn’t, so let the time to come be all the now we can handle.

84 replies

Tired of Hammond’s filtered reports. Thank god for Dillman and Elliot. Matsuda gets to eat a shit load of crow and, I got the best Christmas present ever. I take a great deal of pride in my team. Yes, it is MY team. I have far too much invested in them over the past 20 years to get my hopes up of being a contender then have management (or the lack thereof) stop them dead in their tracks. This was supposed to be our year. This will be the telling sign if this squad can pull it out. I think they can. Not under Stevens, though.

Please please please, Santa…no Sutter in my stocking for Christmas!

Rejoice rejoice. Maybe the boys will actually get a chance to play on some consistent lines and develop…oh, what’s that word? Consistency!!! Yeah, that’s it! Some fucking familiarity with their linemates for once. That would be nice!

That is mostly based on Bob McKenzie speculation on an NHL Live interview today. Dreger got his tweet from watching that and the only reason McKenzie mentoned it was due to Dl and DS knowing each other from San Jose.
DL won’t rush into this. Ownership spend a lot of money this summer and agreed to major moves. They have a lot invested in tthis and if DL doesn’t hire the right coach and this team doens’t go deep, DL coulud lose his job.
Stevens handle things for a couple of weeks, while he searches and does interviews.
Helene Elliotte said on NHL live that she felt they want someone who will provide more creativity for the offense. That doens’t sound liek Sutter.
There are viable candidates out there…DL should take his time
Twitter also reported Dl went into the players locker room and reamed them for their lack of effort that cost the coach his job.

… Well, I just got through saying that the Kings should do this quickly, and they did – so kudos to Lombardi for that, at least.

As for what happens now, the very fact that the Kings haven’t had a replacement lined up just shows me this organization’s playing it by ear. But, whatever; we’ll see when that’s going to happen and who it will be.

When I was in school one of my professors asked me what I did in my spare time and I told him I was a Kings’ fan and that I hope to see them win the Stanley Cup one day. His reply was “Son, you better live to a ripe old age”.

“One has to wonder if the ‘leak’ from the LA Times article last night forced Lombardi’s hand to act a bit sooner than he would have liked.”

I firmly believe this is what happened. The timing is just a little too off.

“One then has to wonder if the leak was Leiweke and placed as an act of subterfuge. A way to control Dean’s movements without actively taking the decision away from his employee. A subtle power play while maintaining empowerment on both sides.”

This thought had occurred to me as a distinct possibility as well. I wouldn’t consider either of these conspiracy theory-ish.

“This thought had occurred to me as a distinct possibility as well. I wouldn’t consider either of these conspiracy theory-ish.”

… If Leiweke was indeed the leak, that would just be another horseshit move in a tenure filled with them. I’ve said many times over the years that the Kings will never be an elite team as long as he has any say in how the hockey product is run. He and the Kings have needed to part ways for a long, long time.

Interesting comment from Lombardi from the 330 telcon with media:’
Lombardi acknowledged that some of the Kings’ young players have not met expectations, but said ”Greene and Brown certainly have to look at themselves as much as the young guys.”
He also said he holds the players accountable for this and that he has a short list of candidates.

Read that but in contrast to what Scriber thinks as well, Greene’s been playing the kind of hockey I personally like. He’s been standing up, taking the body and getting pissy in front of his own net. He squeezes the play into the zone to the outside and aside from him losing his edge the other day, I haven’t seen him make many mistakes.

Admittedly, though, I’ve been keeping my eye on other things most games.

It was David Spade doing the Weekend Update on SNL years and years ago, he was talking about MC Hammer and he said “Ba du du du, It’s over”, to the beat of Hammertime. It’s one of those random things that has stuck with me and always makes me laugh.

It was inevitable and I’m glad they finally did it now rather than later. I do feel bad for TM though. He took the team from those Godforsaken Crawford years and brought them into the playoffs. I don’t know the guy personally but I’m sure he’s a good guy but being a good guy and not taking the team to the next level don’t mean shit. This ain’t no government job this shit is performance based!

Terry Murray thank you for a job well done!

I say bring on Granato!!! Cmon boys get shit done out there tomorrow!!!

I know what you mean about government jobs – I have one. If you actually live in the City, we turned your fucking lights back on when you were shivering in your panties. When one of us fucks up, we or others get electrocuted. But you’re right – we do get extra pay just for showing up in the middle of the night. And we don’t get “performance-based” bonuses like bailed-out bond traders.

You know what I’m talking about…but how about this for a government job…a friend of mine goes to work as an engineer in the morning. Motherfuckers are just kicking back reading the GD paper and don’t give a rat’s ass about shit why? they won’t get fired or it’s very difficult to get fired.

I don’t give a rat’s ass who you work for or what you do but I do care about How one does their job and that’s my point here. I’m sure the government has many fine employees just not at the DMV.

I think the loss to Dallas where they all lined up for the faceoff should have been the tipping point for management. I’m not saying it was for the players, but it seems like that’s when everything took a complete nosedive.

“I love DL for going right for the jugular calling out the Captain and Greene! Dean don’t take no shit and he’s got the balls to say shit like that”

… If I were Brown or Greene I would be thinking “hey YOU were the smart guy who brought in Moreau and Hunter and Fraser, Mr. Don’t take no Shit. We’re not the only ones who need to be held accountable here”.

Yeah but here’s the thing though…Moreau, Hunter and Fraser don’t wear a C or A on their jerseys. To me it sounds as if they’re just as accountable as TM is in the team’s pitiful play. DL is to an extent but he’s not on the ice. They don’t give those letters to anyone.

Richards is a great example. To me ever since he’s been gone there’s a void there in leadership. How he talks to guys on the ice, his play reading abilities, PK reads, etc. How he tells guys to set up before he takes a faceoff that shit never really happened before.

I don’t know what Brown or Greene say in the locker room but sounds to me DL ain’t too happy about it and, imo, rightfully so. Where the hell are those guys, especially Brown?

“Richards is a great example. To me ever since he’s been gone there’s a void there in leadership.”

… Looks to me like it’s been a void at second line center, and it’s important to remember that Mitchell missed time during this losing streak as well. His leadership was missed just as much.

It’s not like the team was setting the World on fire with Richards in the lineup. He was excellent for a ten game stretch before he got hurt, but before that he was just as responsible for the scoring woes on the team as anyone.

“I don’t know what Brown or Greene say in the locker room but sounds to me DL ain’t too happy about it and, imo, rightfully so. Where the hell are those guys, especially Brown?”

… I don’t know if Lombardi goes down to the dressing room often, but I doubt it. It’s not really the place for the GM to be. That’s the domain of the coaches and the players.

You can say that the dumpster dives Lombardi brought in during the offseason don’t wear letters on their sweaters, but the fact of the matter is that they are just as much of the problem as anyone else on the team by virtue of the fact that they’ve been out there on the ice.

I don’t have an issue with Brown, Greene, or Kopitar any more than I have an issue with the entire team playing the game correctly. Most leading is done by example, and I’ve never seen any one of those three guys skimp on their work ethic and their willingness to do whatever it takes for the team to win. It’s a four game losing streak. It’s not the end of the World. Obviously, the leaders on the team are upset about it but they still have a responsibility to act as professionals, and I think they are.

I don’t really see any issues with Greene on the ice. I don’t expect much from him anyways but to shut guys down which I think he’s been doing a fairly good job at. But I think his leadership goes beyond his on ice play and therefore the A.

Brown…when we got Richards I said there was gonna be some issues with Brown in some way. To me Brownie is a little lost. He will Never be the same caliber as Richards but that’s OK because that’s not his game. Brown needs to settle the fuck down and just be Dustin Brown and play his game. To me he’s trying to prove to everyone that he’s just as good a player as Richards and that’s not gonna happen and so his game is outta whack. It’s like Westgarth is trying to dangle the puck like Ovechkin, it’s just not gonna happen.

I missed this part. You’re joking right? I sure hope you are. The team is almost 30 games into the season and we’re Dead Last in scoring. Dead fucking last…if it’s just a four game losing streak none of this would have happened. You and I both know it.

If the team could actually score more goals, TM would still have a job. Even if the team was somewhere in the middle of pack with offense I can say “Shit another slide…” but it’s way more serious than that.

It was the right thing to do, but it’s not the only thing that needs to happen. It’s been obvious for at least two weeks this ship ran aground. Who ever put out the tweets within the org is spineless. This should be handled behind closed doors. As fans we have our emotions invested, but we are talking about men and their careers. As much as we can bash them, they still deserve to have this handled with dignity.

Sutter…hell no. Any retread is the wrong direction to go here. Why do they need another old school guy to come in? Murray did that and did it well. Sutter comes in to whip the boys in shape? Guessing that will work positively for a short period and it’s the same bs different day. DL hires Sutter, then his countdown clock has officially started. Somehow I can’t see TL and Sutter getting along very well.

Run with J Stevens in the interim and see how it pans out. Keep looking in the meantime. Still think J Hynes is the way to go.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘players’ that tweeted get sent out in a trade. Still think some internal moves need to happen and possibly a trade. Guys have to be held accountable.

“ho ever put out the tweets within the org is spineless. This should be handled behind closed doors. As fans we have our emotions invested, but we are talking about men and their careers. As much as we can bash them, they still deserve to have this handled with dignity.”

Boohoo. Men and their careers… Murray will be paid until 2013. He’s made enough money.

We aren’t talking about normal human beings, we are talking about men being paid a boatload of money to play a sport that in most cases is for profit (try to at least). If you aren’t performing, you should be fired.

Speaking out about it is not bad either. We have all spoke out about it, and leaking the info, what harm does that do? It hurts Terry Muray’s feelers? Big fucking deal. There are more paying fans who have had their feelings hurt during this season than one guy who hasn’t done his job good enough.

I’m sure he’ll be on welfare next year because he can’t afford to pay his bills.
/End sarcasm

this is a shocker,,I feel really sorry for TM…..The Kings players needed to score it was on them and they failed each time they go on the ice..It was a time for a new voice and hope Dean get some one other than Sutter

All I want is a coach to make our players play at the top their level, which I feel hasn’t happened since Melrose left (we also had a slew of crap players too, but I hope you understand what I mean). We actually have the personnel to have a great team, but so far it’s been with the wrong conductor. Hopefully that all changes sooner than later. Let’s send a message, and lets beat the crap out of the champs tomorrow!!

I just read the Lombardi conference call transcripts, and it looks very obvious that DL did not make this decision. It wasn’t his, and I think that is why he is pissy when it concerns the players, and calling out Brown and Green publicly. When St. Louis, Washington, and Anaheim fired their coaches, did the GM publicly shame the players for the loss of the coach? I don’t know if they did or didn’t, but I certainly didn’t read anything along those lines. Either way, it sounds petulant, and I am sure the players aren’t going to take it to well.

I’m starting to think that this team isn’t going to right itself with just a coach change. I’d love to find myself wrong at the end of the season, but time will tell.

“From what I’ve come to understand, the Kings don’t see Stevens as their long-term coach. Keep an eye on the whereabouts of Darryl Sutter in the next few days. Dean Lombardi is very close with Sutter and, as GM in San Jose, hired Sutter in 1997. Sutter left the coaching ranks after the 2005-06 season, as he went from coach/GM to GM, and he left that role last December. I’ll never forget the exchange I had with Lombardi, at the press conference to announce his hiring as Kings’ GM in 2006. It went like this…

Question: “In terms of qualities, what will you be looking for in a coach?”

Lombardi: “Darryl.”

Sutter, at that time, was still the coach in Calgary.”

… Ahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa, that’s so priceless. You guys will be praying for Murray to come back after a little while with this guy.

That’s what I was talking about! Since it’s obvious Dean had nothing to do with this move, do you think he is going to continue his petulance by hiring Sutter to shove it in Lieweke’s face? (I’m just assuming Lieweke made the call, since I have no idea who else would have)

I just danced around the house for like 10 minutes when I heard the news and you had to go and ruin it… Sutter is a terrible decision. I love how clutch Dean has been lately, but this would negate everything. I really hope it isn’t Sutter. Just have to wait and see…

What do you expect Dean to say? He wants to hold his players accountable. He isn’t exactly wrong, while Murray is responsible for the players’ energy level, the Kings have been greatly lacking in emotion and urgency. Not every GM would have acted, the team failed at the homestand and Dean acted. He’s made some good moves recently, obviously the offseason was terrific, and he graduated one of the rookies and decided to let one of his signings go as a result. A lot of positive actions have been coming from his office lately.

Terry Murray was the right coach for the Kings… in 2006. unfortunately they didn’t hire him until two years later, it’s now 2012, and they have nothing to show for the last 5 years except two first-round playoff losses.

goaltending used to be the franchise’s achilles heel, as historically they’ve had trouble attracting or hanging on to any that were top-notch. now our #1 problem is coaching, and it’s nearly gotten so bad.

scary that the 2nd Murray actually leads the Kings all-time in winning percentage, what with the available talent and how clueless he was this season. he was coaching (if one can call his wooden cigar store indian impression) like it was 1997 out there.

Since we’re talking about new coaches I think Hynes would be a great guy. He’s the coach of the Penguins minor league team. I have a link to a post on the Pensblog’s minor league site. And a curious word is used to describe him, one that has been brought up here before..

I’ve been touting Hynes for weeks now. His resume speaks volumes. Limited experience many would say, but the guy is a winner. The description of “grind bitches down”…..I like it! Book the guy a ticket to LA imo.

I just wanted to say, that after going between, lakingsnews, lakingsinsider, mayors mannor and theroyal half, I gatta tell ya, surely and scribe I’d have to say your blog is the shittiest one. Shittier than Mongoloid Hammonds blog. Why? Because your writing sucks. You think your being funny when really, your making everyone reading Cringe and think “fuck why did I come to this blog? Its obvious that it was written by a couple homos from the San Fernando Valley” And with that I bid you good day and good bye to your shitty blog that I will never be visiting again!

and to anyone that reads this:

If your looking for something fun to read about the kings, the royal half is where its at. Mayors Mannor isn’t so bad either. But fuck this one sucks and doesn’t deserve the URL kings news tshh.

Im not sure this fixes anything. John Stevens being interim coach means hes coach for the rest of the year, and I dont think Dean Lombardi would have it any other way. Then Stevens will win one playoff series against some crap first round opponent, and that will be enough to make him permanent coach. And if he isnt made permanent coach, then it will be some awful choice like Daryl Sutter, or some other defensively minded old-school Terry Murray clone.

I think Lombardi wanted to keep Murray, and since he couldnt, now hes dead set on finding another Murray, just with a different name.

Maybe the problem this whole time wasnt just the coach, but the guy choosing the coaches. Its clear Lombardi is looking to avoid hiring a good, creative, thinking, young coach at all costs. Seems like a pretty big problem to me. Firing Murray achieves nothing if you dont replace him with someone better.